Shakhtar Donetsk secure first win of Champions League campaign against Young Boys
Shakhtar’s Kevin required less than 10 minutes to find the net in Gelsenkirchen, only to see his early effort chalked off for an offside in the build-up.
Eguinaldo then threatened to break the deadlock when he found himself one-on-one with Marvin Keller, but the Young Boys goalkeeper ultimately stood firm to frustrate the designated hosts.
After soaking up significant early pressure, the visitors stunned Shakhtar when they found the breakthrough in the 27th minute after winning possession high up the pitch. Kastriot Imeri wrong-footed Dmytro Riznyk with his strike from the edge of the box, sending his low shot inside the near post to score his first goal of the season.
Despite being dealt a setback, Shakhtar showed great character to turn the game in their favour before the half-time break. First, Oleksandr Zubkov tapped the ball in from Georhiy Sudakov’s square pass to restore parity just past the half-hour mark.
Buoyed by his assist, Sudakov showcased his confidence when he let fly from outside the area, driving a low strike into the far corner to send his side into the break in high spirits.
The Ukrainian champions looked assured in the opening stages of the second period until Riznyk was forced to scramble back towards his line to stop Valeriy Bondar from prodding the ball into his own net.
At the opposite end of the pitch, Zubkov attempted to make sure of the three points when he fizzed a left-foot strike just wide of Keller’s far post.
Their failure to find the insurance of a third goal set up a nervy finish, but Shakhtar ultimately stood firm to clinch three precious points, moving them to the brink of the top 24. As for the visitors, they have now lost four of their last five competitive away matches (D1).
Flashscore Man of the Match: Georhiy Sudakov (Shakhtar Donetsk)